The PEW Internet & American Life Project released a study that sheds some light on the generational differences of internet users in the U.S. The report was conducted from 2006-2008, and is a facinating peek into internet behavior. This study shows that the internet is not all about 20 year olds using Facebook.

To start with, let's look at a generational breakdown.

Internet Use and Email

• The web is dominated by younger generations, or those who fall into the 18-44 demographic.
• The biggest increase of internet use from 2005 until 2008 is in the 70-75 year-old age group. About 45% of this age group is online.
• Email is the top activity online across all generations.
• 74% of internet users ages 64 and older list email as their most popular activity.

Teens & Generation Y

• Internet users ages 18-32 are the most likely to use the internet for entertainment and to connect with friends and family (aka: social networking).
• These younger generations are much more likely to find entertainment online than older users. This includes views online video, playing online games and partaking in online virtual worlds. They are also more likely to download music.
• Younger generations are much more likely to use and participate in social networking websites. They use these sites to keep track of and communicate with friends.
• 78% of users between 12-17 years of age list their favorite online activity as game playing.
• 50% of Gen Y users (18-34) play games online.

Older Generations

• Older generations (33-72 years of age) use the internet more for research, shopping and banking.
• Researching health information is the third most popular activity for seniors on the internet.
• Online shopping is most popular with Gen Xers (33-44), with 80% buying products online.
• Online shopping is least popular among Gen Yers (18-32), with only 38% buying products online.
• Gen Xers are much more likely than any other generation to do their banking online.

Video Downloads, Online Travel & Work-Related Research

• Downloading videos is more equally distributed across all generations under the age of 72.
• Gen Yers have grown more likely to make travel reservations online than in 2005 (50% in 2005 versus 65% in 2008).
• Gen Xers continues to dominate online travel reservations, with 70% of that demo performing this action.
  
• 51% of Gen Yers said they used the internet to do research for their jobs other than email. This is up from 44% in 2005.